Date With Density
by calicoToones
Summary: This Chapter: The date hits rock bottom, and someone makes a desperate confession. Later, after a few drinks, Raven gets a little raunchy. [ Story Summary: A decoy operation. A dress-up date. A duo who try too hard and act like dummies. A disaster. And then, with nothing left to lose, things get... interesting. [BBxRae romantic comedy]
1. Raven's Accidental Date

_**This could be considered a 'Season 6' episode.**_

_**I don't own Teen Titans.**_

**The Setup**

Robin had called a morning meeting, and all the titans were in the common room. He stood in front of the view screen, which displayed a huge background picture of Mumbo, with a map of the city overlaid which showed the locations of his attacks.

The other four Titans sat on the sofa. Beast Boy sat at one end, still not fully awake and trying to finish his bowl of Lucky Charms. Next to him was Cyborg with a large cup of coffee. Both boys had been up late the night before, watching a marathon of all three _Back To The Future_ movies.

Starfire was checking her messages on a tablet device, and Raven sat at the other end, sipping her tea and finishing a bagel.

"Mumbo has been causing havoc all over town already this morning," Robin briefed them. "His targets are all completely random and we have no way to track him."

"Still just nonviolent stuff?" asked Cyborg.

"Yes," Robin confirmed. "He's using his powers to make ATM machines spit out Monopoly money, re-outfitting women in miniskirts, and filling police cars with shaving cream."

"At least it's only shaving cream this time," Beast Boy mumbled.

"I got another internet message from him," Raven said. "More pictures of him posing with 'Bunnyraven' memorabilia." Her distaste for that word was apparent.

"The Mumbo has a fascination with you, yes?" offered Starfire.

Raven rolled her eyes. "Why do I always attract the weird ones?"

"You know," Robin said, thinking out loud, "If Raven went out in public, Mumbo would probably approach her…"

"She couldn't be surrounded by all of us," Cyborg noted. "And she'd have to be doing something that he'd find interesting."

"He doesn't show up when I go to the coffee shop," Raven remarked.

"No wonder, that place is filled with freaks," Beast Boy muttered, but soon became aware of a glare from Raven. "I mean it is filled with totally normal, nice people just pursuing alternative lifestyles. Totally normal. Nothing freaky about that."

"Oooh, if she went out on a date with someone, that would certainly catch his attention," Starfire suggested.

"No," Raven said flatly.

"Yeah," Cyborg nodded thoughtfully. "That would be hard for him to resist."

"No way," Raven insisted.

"It **is** a pretty good idea," Robin agreed. "We can't just keep guessing where he is going to strike and being wrong, or discovering where he is too late. He's making fools out of us."

"Ok, fine," she grumbled. "Who wants to be my date?"

There was silence. Almost instantly she regretted saying that. Open mouth, insert foot.

"Well, don't everyone shout at once," she said sarcastically. A little bit of pink color was coming to her cheeks.

Robin was about to volunteer, but out of the corner of his eye he could see Starfire looking at him intently. He hesitated.

"Um, I guess I could do it," Beast Boy said reluctantly, breaking the silence.

Raven sighed. "That's great," she deadpanned. "Once again, I must be the luckiest girl alive." She stood up and walked toward the door. "I need to go meditate. Or kill myself. One of the two."

"That's what all my dates say!" Beast Boy quipped.

Raven went out the sliding metal door. No one could see, but she had a little involuntary smile on her face after Beast Boy's last remark.

"It's not a date! It's a decoy assignment," Robin insisted, as the door closed behind her. Then he looked at Beast Boy.

"Beast Boy, are you sure you can handle this? It's got to look realistic. You can't go to a fancy restaurant and be blowing bubbles in your drink with the straw up your nose."

"That was one time, **one** time! And it was two and a half years ago!"

"Yes, at my birthday celebration hosted by Batman," Robin noted dryly.

"Is that why we now only go out for the pizza?" Starfire asked.

"It's a contributing factor," Robin allowed.

"Hey, I only volunteered because no one else was speaking up! Raven was going to get all upset."

"I guess you'd know. You upset her so much," quipped Cyborg.

"I didn't hear you volunteering," he retorted.

"Hey, don't look at me! I was performing a Level 10 Diagnostic!" He made many lights blink in the transparent part of his half metal skull.

Starfire looked at Beast Boy with a sparkle in her eyes. "I think that was very sweet of you."

Beast Boy shrugged.

.

.

Later in the day, Raven was in her room, sitting on the foot of her bed, thinking. The lights were dimmed very low and she had several candles lit. The gargoyles and stone artifacts on the walls, and those on her bookcases, flickered in the candle light.

She was pulled out of her reverie by a knock on her door.

"It is Starfire. May I come in?"

"Uh, sure." Raven didn't get up; she used her power to press the button that unlocked the door, and she increased the brightness of the lights a bit. Starfire entered.

In the past year, Raven had loosened her policy and allowed her teammates into her room for brief period of time as long as they didn't interrupt her when she was meditating, sleeping, reading a good book, or obsessively thinking about characters in one of her good books. Other rules were: no snooping, no touching breakable items, and knowing when it was time to leave. Needless to say, Beast Boy had trouble with pretty much all of them. Still, she did allow him in from time to time.

Starfire was a little better, however, and so had slightly more access privileges. Most times she would simply drop by to chat about innocuous things, or show off something that she had bought, and that wasn't too annoying.

"Are you nervous about the date with friend Beast Boy?"

Raven sighed. Unfortunately, this didn't look like it was going to be one of those times.

"Starfire," Raven said, clearing her throat. "One: It's not a date; it's a decoy assignment. Two: I don't get nervous."

"But…" Starfire said diplomatically, "I am not aware of you previously going out on any dates."

"I've been out on dates," she said, a little defensively. "I just don't tell all of you about them."

Starfire looked hurt. "Why would you not tell me about them?"

Raven sighed. "Ok. Fine. Last year I went out a couple times with a boy I met at the coffee shop."

"Ooooh! What happened?"

"I'd rather not say."

"Please?"

"He wanted me to…bite him. He thought I could turn him into a vampire."

Starfire's eyes widened a little. "Did you do it?"

"No!" She paused to shake her head. "I told you I always get the weird ones."

Starfire looked puzzled for a moment.

"Starfire, you know I can't turn people into vampires, right?"

"Oh, I know that. I was just recalling that sometimes, after arguing with Beast Boy, you say to him 'Bite me!' and leave the room…"

"I don't mean for him to really do it! It's just an expression."

"So it means something like 'Goodbye'?"

"Uh…sure. That's one way to say goodbye to Beast Boy."

Starfire seemed satisfied. She turned the conversation back around to her real purpose.

"So what are you going to wear tomorrow?"

"Just what I've got on?"

"Oh, no, no. Robin has pulled some of the 'strings' to get you two into one of the finest restaurants in town, so the Mumbo will know it is important. You will have to do the 'dressing up'."

"I'm sure I will be fine."

"Let me give you a make over!" she suggested with excitement.

"No."

Starfire sighed with dejection.

"You always want to give me a make over in this type of story," Raven noted with a slight conciliatory smile. "You know I never let you."

"But you want to make a good impression on Beast Boy, do you not?"

"Starfire, this isn't a real date! And why should I care what impression I make on him?"

"Hmmm…I am curious. What would be different in a real date?"

"How should I know?" Raven said in exasperation. But Starfire was still looking at her, wanting a better answer. "OK, the boy would actually ask the girl out, for one thing."

"I see," Starfire said thoughtfully. "Thank you, Raven. I will leave you to your meditation now."

But Raven didn't meditate. Instead she lay on her back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. _What had she gotten herself into?_


	2. Making Preparations

**Chapter 2.**

The team, except for Raven, was all seated at a white plastic table in the food court of a local shopping mall. Raven has excused herself to use the restroom, and was taking a long time.

At the other end of the mall was a magician's supply store called _Lords of Illusion_. It was strongly suspected that Mumbo had friends or accomplices there. In the past, the Titans had attempted to stake it out to catch him, but never even caught a glimpse. Still, invariably, Mumbo seemed to get word of what was happening at this location.

"You want me to say **what**?" Beast Boy asked.

"Would you do me the honor of accompanying me to dinner tomorrow evening at _Clair de Lune?" _Starfire repeated_._

"And she'll say 'Drop dead'," he predicted.

"No, she won't," Starfire insisted. "She will politely accept."

"Raven has been briefed on her lines," Robin stated, glancing over at Starfire who nodded. "Remember, you're not really asking her out. You're _acting_, for an audience. You know how much you love an audience…"

Beast Boy smiled. He did enjoy performing.

"My Lady, would you do me the honor of accompanying me to dinner tomorrow evening at _Clair de Lune?" _he said dramatically_, _as though speaking to the Queen of England._  
_

"And you're definitely the better actor," Robin continued, building him up. "Raven can't act worth beans…"

"Tell me about it! She's so stiff, it's like she's got a broomstick up her as-Hi, Raven!" he said, deftly changing the course of the statement as Raven arrived back at the table.

"Let's get this over with," she muttered, walking around the table until she was behind Beast Boy. Then, leaning in close, she said in a low voice, "Before I pull out the 'broomstick' and rap you over the head with it."

"Heh, heh," he laughed nervously. "You have good ears."

The group split up. Robin and Starfire went out to the parking lot and got in the T-Car. Raven and Beast Boy causally walked around and looked in some shops, then went into the _Lords of Illusion_ store. Cyborg pretended to shop in a store on the opposite side of the mall, but where he still had a line of sight on the couple. He could see them perfectly with his electronic eye, and he wirelessly transmitted the images and sound to Robin and Starfire in the T-Car.

The shop was filled with items for the amateur as well as professional magician. Magic wands, capes, crystal balls, even boxes to put someone in and saw them in half. A pimply faced teenage clerk with the nametag 'Swann' approached them.

"Can I help you find something?"

"No, thanks. We're just looking," Beast Boy answered.

Raven picked up a crystal ball and was going to buy it, until she looked at the price and quickly put it back. She then grabbed a pack of trick cards.

"We'll buy these," she whispered to Beast Boy.

There was a small line of customers at the cash register, being served by a burly, balding cashier with the nametag 'Nix'. They got in the line.

When the customer ahead of them finished his purchase and began to leave, and Nix just started to turn his gaze toward them, Beast Boy went for it:

"Um, Raven… Uh, wanna go out with me? We could chow down at _Eclair de Moon" _he blurted out in a jumble, adding, "Tomorrow…Dinner."

Raven froze like a deer in the headlights of an oncoming truck. Watching in the car on Starfire's tablet, Robin and Starfire also tensed up. _She's going to blow it_, Robin thought.

"Why, Beast Boy," she said, forcing a smile on her face like ice cracking across a frozen pond. "I'd…Be…Delighted."

Back in the car, Robin and Starfire both breathed sighs of relief.

"She's never going to win an Academy Award," Robin ventured, "But I think we've pulled it off."

Starfire grinned.

Back in the store, Swann and Nix exchanged glances.

.

.

After returning to the tower, Raven was in her room. She had once again rebuffed Starfire in her offer to help with clothes, hair and makeup. Now she was looking through her closet, rummaging through her civilian clothes and searching for anything that might pass as an evening dress. There was nothing.

"Well, I guess I'll have to make a trip to the Mall Of Shopping with Starfire," she said to herself. "But I'm not letting her do anything else to me. I look just fine."

She walked over to the large mirror behind her bathroom counter.

_I look good, _she thought to herself as she gazed into the mirror on the wall. She adjusted her hair. _Well, I look pretty good. _She inspected her face. The heavy eyeliner did a good job of concealing the problems with her lashes.

_I definitely look OK,_ she thought, and was going to turn away when she had the realization: _All the people in the restaurant_ _will be staring at Beast Boy and me together_. The critical self examination continued as she focused on the shape of her nose and her lips. _Well, I don't look terrible_.

"I don't live my life for what other people think," she mumbled out loud.

_He'll be staring at me, up close, the whole evening. _

"I don't care,_" _she said firmly.

She looked at all the familiar imperfections in her skin_…_

After a moment, she pulled her communicator out of her pocket.

"Starfire? OK, let's do the makeover," she grumbled.

.

An hour later the two girls were back at the shopping mall. They had already found a pair of elegant shoes with the very high heel, which Starfire said were "in" once again. Now they were shopping for an evening dress. Starfire had picked one out, a beautiful fabric that shimmered in the light and was the same deep, dark blue color as the leotard of Raven's uniform.

"Starfire, doesn't this dress show a lot of, um, skin?"

"On my world, it is considered very bad taste to be so covered up."

"That would explain a lot," Raven remarked, mostly to herself.

"In fact, Beast Boy said my skirts are too long and that I should shorten them."

"Did he now?" Raven said, cocking her eyebrow. "Remind me to have a little talk with him."

On the way to the dressing room, Raven looked at the price tag.

"Wow! ...I can't afford this."

"Don't worry, you can just put it on your credit card! Then you don't need money."

"Starfire, that doesn't make it free! That money still has to be paid."

Starfire enthusiasm drooped along with her gaze. But soon she looked back up at Raven with a smile. "But it doesn't have to be paid today!"

Alone in the dressing room, Raven changed into the dress. It was indeed what an up-and-coming starlet might wear to the Academy Awards, to be sure to get a lot of pictures. It clasped at the back of Raven's neck, but then her whole back was uncovered until the start of her rear end, except for one thin horizontal strap midway between her shoulder blades and the small of her back. It clung to every one of her curves.

"AAAhhh," Raven cried in horror.

Starfire burst into the dressing room to have a look.

"It hardly covers me at all!"

"That fine! It's what everyone is wearing," Starfire assured her.

"Look how low it goes in the back and the way it clings to my waist…you can see my underwear!"

"You could try not wearing the underwear," Starfire suggested helpfully, but upon seeing the glare from Raven, quickly added, "Just a thought."

"I'm nowhere near thin enough to wear this!"

"Yes, you are," Starfire insisted, looking her in the eyes. "Friend Raven, I would not tell you the lie. Your body is of the correct shape to wear this dress. You are very beautiful."

Raven was momentarily disarmed by the unexpectedness and sincerity of Starfire's statement, and stopped resisting.

They left the mall with the new dress and shoes.

.

.

While Raven and Starfire were at the mall, Beast Boy was preparing to leave to rent a tuxedo. Robin met him in the hallway as Beast Boy was on his way to the elevator.

"I'll give you some money out of the Titan's petty cash fund," offered Robin.

"I'm cool, bro" said Beast Boy. "I've still got a lot left from that gig I did 'modeling' dinosaurs for the school science textbooks."

"I think this restaurant is going to be pricey," Robin noted. "No need for you to spend your own money on an undercover assignment…"

"Dude, there are a lot of dinosaurs."

Robin reached into his pocket and handed a slip of paper to Beast Boy. "Here is a coupon for a tux rental from the place where I got one."

"When did you even rent a tux?" Beast Boy asked, puzzled.

"You remember a couple years back, my prom date with Kitten?" Robin said, cringing slightly at the memory.

"Oh, yeah," he replied with a smile. "The press called that your 'Date With Destiny' as I recall."

"Don't remind me!"

Still smiling, Beast Boy got in the elevator.

.

.

The hair and makeup session took place with Raven seated at the lighted vanity table in Starfire's room. She had box after box neatly arrayed with every conceivable product.

After two hours of sarcasm, grumbling, exasperation, and threats (and that was just Starfire's half of the conversation), Raven was ready. She looked at the final result in the mirror.

"Wow! You are amazing, Starfire," Raven said, standing up to leave. "Thank you…You're a good friend."

She reached out and patted Starfire on the upper arm, then headed to the door.

Starfire nearly passed out at this uncharacteristic display of affection.

Soon, it was time. None of the boys had seen Raven since she went off with Starfire. They were all gathered in the lobby on the ground floor of the tower. The lobby was 2 stories high, and decorated with comfortable chairs. It was where the Titans could entertain groups of fans, or other guests that they didn't really know well enough to take upstairs. The main elevator stopped at a 2nd floor landing, so a Titan could survey the crowd without getting mobbed, and two curved staircases came down from the landing to the ground.

The boys were standing on the ground floor. Beast Boy was wearing his tuxedo, and had his hair neatly combed. He was holding a small box in his hand.

"What's in the box, B?" Cyborg asked.

"A corsage," Beast Boy said, opening the box to show them.

"Uh…It's not really a prom," remarked Robin

"I didn't even know they still made the kind that you have to pin on," Cyborg commented.

"Hey, the guy at the flower store said this was the classiest kind," Beast Boy said defensively.

Just then they heard the elevator descending. It stopped on the 2nd floor landing, and the doors opened. The girls walked out and came clearly into view as they started down the stairs.

There was stunned silence and each boy's jaw dropped open.

Starfire came down the steps, but she wasn't the reason for the silence. She looked just as she always did. The girl next to her was the reason. She walked down, a little wobbly in her heels, but otherwise it could have been a famous singer or movie star.

"Damn!" Cyborg said softly, mostly to himself. Beast Boy's tongue and vocal chords tried to work, but no sound came out.

Raven stopped walking, acutely aware of all eyes being on her. Acutely aware of how exposed she was, how foolish she must look with this makeup and earrings.

"I feel like a fool!" she hissed to Starfire.

"Nonsense!" Starfire reassured her. Then loudly to the others, "Doesn't Raven look nice?"

"Uh…Yes," Robin said. "Oh, yes!...I mean, uh, you are very well dressed for the occasion, Raven."

"Damn, girl, you look good!" Cyborg interjected, grinning.

Beast Boy still couldn't talk, but he had a huge smile on his face. He walked over to Raven, who felt a little better and managed a weak smile in return. The whole group walked outside together, glamorous Raven towering above Beast Boy in her heels.

Earlier, Cyborg had pulled the T-Car out of the garage, and its silver surface glinted in the last rays of the setting sun. Seagulls called out to each other as they glided over the calm waters of the bay. The car sat on the concrete driveway, which led right down into the water.

"I have a corsage for you," Beast Boy said to a surprised Raven. He opened the box and took out the cluster of flowers.

"It's beautiful," she said.

He approached her and confidently began his attempt to pin it onto the fabric of her dress.

Cyborg, Robin and Starfire could only watch in silent horror and Beast Boy fumbled all over Raven's chest attempting to attach the corsage. Raven stiffened, but seemed to be remaining calm except for the large blush spreading across her face. It wasn't until she became aware of the other three Titans staring at her that she exploded:

"Beast Boy!"

He looked up, shocked.

"I think there might be a square inch of my chest somewhere that you didn't manhandle," she commented dryly.

"I was **trying** not to stick you with the pin!" he insisted with exasperation and sincere embarrassment.

Starfire stepped in, "I'll do it." She attached the corsage without further difficulty.

"I still think I should drive them," Cyborg offered. "It would be really classy with a chauffeur."

"And it would also look like we are sending the whole team," Robin again reminded him.

"Remember, the most important thing is the mission," Robin said.

"Yeah," added Cyborg. "Not letting anything happen to the T-Car, and the mission, are the most important things."

"And having the fun!" added Starfire.

"Got it. Fun, car, mission," Beast Boy repeated.

"Car, mission, fun," corrected Cyborg.

"Mission, car, fun," corrected Robin.

"Fun, fun, fun,…mission," Starfire interjected, adding the last item after a cautious glance at Robin.

"Can we just get in the damn car?" exploded Raven. "Let's get this over with." She stomped to the car, at least as well as she could stomp in the heels.

They got in the car, and began to drive away.

Starfire jumped up and down and waved excitedly. "Bite me, Beast Boy! Bite me, Raven!"

Robin and Cyborg just looked at each other.

In the car, Raven was having trouble with her seat belt. Beast Boy reached over to help her, but the car had reached the end of the driveway and was entering the water.

They both realized the problem when the engine began making sputtering sounds and they heard a gurgling from the exhaust pipe.

"Oh no!" Beast Boy exclaimed, as he frantically looked around for the control to engage the flying mechanism. Raven closed her eyes and began to concentrate.

Back on the land, Cyborg was about to blow a circuit. The water was up to the windows now. "Engage the thrusters!...Pull the candy cane watcha-ma-hoozit!"

At that moment, the car lifted out of the water, surrounded by a black aura of energy. A few seconds later, the thrusters roared to life and the car jetted across the water, leaving a trail of spray behind it.

The date had begun.


	3. I'm an Excellent Driver

**3. I'm an Excellent Driver**

The car surged across the bay, flying a foot or so above the water as Beast Boy accelerated. His gloveless green hands gripped the steering wheel like a race car driver.

"If I drive 88, we'll go back in time!" he said with a smile.

Raven looked ahead blankly. "Don't go too fast, Beast Boy."

"You should really watch more movies, Raven. _Back To The Future_ is a classic."

"I prefer to read. You know, you should try that some time," she said, as she continued to try to get her seat belt to connect. "I think you would really enjoy it. I picked out a book for you…"

But he only heard the first part of what she said, thinking it was going to be another one of her put-downs.

"I read books!" he interrupted. "Maybe not all the time. But I read 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' earlier this summer. And I had **already** seen the movie."

"Great. So…who was your favorite character?" she asked conversationally.

"I like Luna Lovegood. It's too bad Harry didn't end up with her."

"It figures," she muttered under her breath. "Another blonde."

"Let's listen to some music. I picked out some goth songs for you, some death metal…"

"What?" she looked up from working on her seat belt. "One, those are two entirely different genres. And two, why?"

"Well, you're all goth, right? I thought you'd like it…"

"I am not 'goth'!" she said, the tone of her voice a little angry for a moment, but then back to her usual monotone. "Yes, I dress a certain way. Yes, I wear some eyeliner. I have a dark outlook on life. That doesn't mean I define myself by any particular culture."

"Heh, heh, my bad," he laughed nervously as he glanced at her. "So how would you define yourself then?"

She stared straight at him and answered in a tone of voice designed to be the last word on this topic.

"I'm **Raven**."

"OK, got it." He swallowed. "Anyway, here is 'Paint It Black' by Mephisto Walz."

He started the music.

"I'd rather listen to 'Mephisto Wal**t**z' by Franz Liszt."

She reached over to adjust the source to go to the songs she had on her communicator. He blocked her hand.

"Hold on, Raven! I know you like to this song. I've heard you listen to it a bunch of times."

"Yes, last year. Now I like classical music."

"Well, this is one of the few songs of yours that I actually like, so we're listening to it."

Realizing that sounded a little harsh, he added, "Okay?"

"Fine," she said, giving up on her seat belt and folding her arms.

They listened to the song without further conversation. The car was approaching the rocky shoreline and Beast Boy slowed down. Raven went back to trying to get her belt to click together.

"What is wrong with this thing?" she muttered in frustration.

"You don't even need it. I'm an excellent driver."

"Right…" she said slowly, and then went into a vigorous attempt to get it to latch. Finally it clicked.

Beast Boy flew the car higher so it cleared the rocks at the shoreline and the guard rail of the coastal highway. The stretch of road before them was empty of traffic, but visibility was poor because the road curved and twisted as it wound along the shoreline. On one side was the ocean and the other was rocky cliffs.

"You know the way, right?" she asked.

"Relax. I've got everything covered."

He smoothly landed the car, while rotating the wheels into driving position, and they started along the road. Without warning, a white sedan rounded the curve behind them and raced up to the back bumper of the T-Car, loudly blowing the horn.

Startled, Beast Boy looked in the rear view mirror. The sedan pulled out and passed the T-Car, and the man driving showed Beast Boy his middle finger as he passed.

"Jerk!" Beast Boy hollered. He accelerated up to the speed limit.

Raven checked her seat belt again. It was securely fastened, and there seemed to be no further excitement.

"Can we play my song now?"

He nodded and she adjusted the controls to accept input from her communicator. The console beeped.

"Connection refused," said the computer voice.

Raven grunted and tried to figure out what setting was wrong. Just then her communicator made the sound of an incoming call.

"It's Cyborg," she said and prepared to answer it.

"Don't forget to use code words," Beast Boy reminded her.

"Code words?"

"You didn't go to the meeting. We all have code names, in case Mumbo is listening."

"That is the stupidest thing I have ever…"

"Just put it on speaker."

She did so. Beast Boy answered, pretending it was a phone call instead of the Titan's communicating, "Hello, this is George McFly."

"George! This is Doc Brown. Are you on the road to the Enchantment Under the Sea Dance?" Cyborgs voice said.

"Yeah," Beast Boy replied. "Where's Marty?"

Raven face-palmed.

"He and I are going to the clock tower. Lorraine is on the hover board. Have fun," Cyborg said as he ended the call.

Raven stared at Beast Boy in disbelief.

"It means he and Robin are going to be stationed near the restaurant, and Starfire is keeping watch from high in the sky," he explained.

"You people need to get a life," she replied.

As they continued driving, the evening grew darker and Beast Boy switched the headlights on. The road veered inland, and there were warning signs about road construction ahead.

Raven had gone back to trying to get her songs to play, but the onboard system would not let her, and her frustration was growing.

"Connection refused," said the computer.

"Why won't this work?" she grumbled in exasperation.

Beast Boy didn't answer. He was looking out the window with a puzzled look on his face. Raven picked up on it.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing…It's just that none of this is looking familiar…" he said, indicating the road ahead, which was now lined with orange traffic cones and signs.

"Are you **sure **we are going the right way?"

"Uh huh," he said slowly.

"Let's check the navigation system and make sure," Raven suggested.

"There's no need for that," Beast Boy said confidently.

"I'm just going to check it real quick."

She pressed the icons on the dashboard touch screen to activate it, but it wouldn't come on. She growled.

"You've got to do it like this," he said and pressed the screen, which lit up for him.

He smiled at her. "You are just not having good luck with the computer today."

"Whatever…" she grumbled. She then noticed the large DETOUR sign that they were passing, and how the road sharply jagged to the left.

"Look out!"

Looking up, Beast Boy immediately appraised the situation and his animal reflexes made the turn in time, even though they were traveling quite fast. The tires screeched a little, but didn't lose contact with the pavement.

"See? I'm an excellent driver!" he said with a grin.

"Yes," she deadpanned, still gripping the armrest. "You managed to knock down every single one of the traffic cones. Congratulations."

.

.

Robin and Cyborg had left Titan's Tower through the underground tunnel that led to the mainland. Cyborg was driving an unmarked grey van, which he had rented the day earlier, and he was dressed as an assistant chef. Robin was wearing the uniform of a waiter at _Clair de Lune_, albeit a waiter with a mask. Starfire wasn't with them; she was keeping watch from high in the sky above the restaurant.

They made it into the city without incident and were heading down the main boulevard towards the restaurant.

"You know," Robin said, looking out the window. "I've been focusing on how to catch Mumbo, but it does seem that Raven and Beast Boy have gone to a lot of extra effort for this assignment."

"They're dedicated professionals," Cyborg replied.

"Yeah, but I think it might be more than that. And Starfire scripted the whole thing about asking for the date at the mall…She has been making sure a lot of details have gone just right for the two of them…"

"Aw, man, you don't think she's convinced them that this is an actual date, do you?" Cyborg asked.

"No, of course not."

Robin paused thoughtfully. "Still, she does care an awful lot about people being happy, and she does like matchmaking…"

"Those two?" he shook his head. "They'd never go out on a real date. They're polar opposites. Look at the way they rile each other up. Anything could happen…"

"That's what I'm worried about."

"Relax, man. BB has got it together. He almost never acts immature any more, especially when he's under pressure…"

Cyborg's voice trailed off as he considered what he was saying.

"And Raven has mellowed a lot in the past year," Robin added. "She doesn't let little annoyances get to her anymore…mostly…"

He also trailed off as he listened to himself.

They looked at each other.

"Man, we could be in…"

"…Deep doo-doo," Robin said, completing his sentence.


	4. Starfire to the Rescue

**Gizmo Got You Pregnant?**

"Our reservation at the restaurant is in 5 minutes," Raven noted, looking at the time on the dashboard control system.

"I know, I know," Beast Boy said with agitation.

She pressed the button to indicate she was talking to the computer. "I want directions to restaurant _Clair de Lune."_

"Continue South on this road for 111.4 miles," the electronic voice replied.

"What? That can't be right!"

Beast Boy tried it, "Directions to restaurant _Clair de Lune_, please."

"Turn around. Take Highway 13 North for 20 miles."

"That's more like it," he said and he turned the car around on the shoulder and headed back the way they came.

"See? I used the turn signal and everything," he exclaimed proudly.

"I'm so impressed," she replied. "Now, why won't anything in this car work for me?"

"I know what it is! It's _bad luck_."

"Huh?"

"Cyborg drove Jinx downtown to run an errand yesterday, right? She sat in your seat. Somehow she left a trace of bad luck behind…I bet it's targeting you."

Raven stared at him, not sure whether this crazy idea was one of his idiotic crazy ideas, or one of his rarer, brilliant crazy ideas.

"You should be nice to her, Raven. There is some kind of a weird vibe between you two..."

"I'm just as nice to her as I am to everyone else."

"My point, exactly," he deadpanned.

She glared at him, but then turned away and looked out the side window. She had to hide the little smile that was forming. It was cute when he said something witty.

"Maybe now I can, finally, get my song to play. You switch the source. But keep your eyes on the road," she added.

He did so. There was no "Connection refused" message, but all they heard was static.

"Just play the radio," he suggested.

She did get the radio to come on, and tried to find a station that wasn't playing commercials.

"Are you feeling 'not-so-fresh'?" asked the announcer. "Try-"

Raven switched the station.

"Are your teeth as white as they could be?" asked another announcer. "Try-"

She switched again and found some smooth jazz. Not her first choice, but it was acceptable for the moment.

They came to the junction with Highway 13, and he made the turn by crossing a double white line in the road, and, while he did look over his shoulder, he didn't use the turn signal.

"I'm curious," Raven remarked. "What score did you get on your driving test?"

"A very good score. Very high," he said confidently. "I exceeded all expectations."

"Did you **pass**?"

"I didn't say a great score…"

Raven face-palmed.

"It was all dorky questions!" he insisted, glancing at her cautiously. "There was nothing about combat driving. What am I going to do? Say 'Hey, hold on a minute, Plasmus, while I parallel park on this hill. Oops, forgot to set the parking brake'."

"So you didn't pass? You **don't** have your license?"

"I almost have it."

"Beast Boy, that's like me telling you that I'm a **little bit** pregnant."

"Oh, my God! You are?" He turned to look at her with a deathly serious expression on his face. "Was it…Gizmo?"

She glared at him, gritting her teeth, and saw the tiny sparkle in his eyes. She quickly turned to look out the side window, clamping her teeth together as hard as she could to prevent even a chuckle.

.

.

Starfire hovered at cloud level, high in the air above the restaurant. She was scanning with a powerful set of binoculars, and she saw the grey van containing Cyborg and Robin pull in to the employee's parking lot around back. But there was no sign of the T-Car yet.

Her communicator beeped and she activated it.

"Hello, uh, Lorraine," Robin's voice said.

"Oh, Marty!" she said, flirtatiously, and in keeping with her character from the movie,

"I'm so glad to hear from you! It's not proper for the girl to call the boy…"

Down on the ground, Cyborg and Robin walked across the dimly lit parking lot to the back door of the restaurant, dressed in their chef and waiter costumes, respectively. Cyborg was using his 'Vic Stone' image generator, so he had no mechanical parts visible. Robin smiled as he talked to Starfire.

"I'm glad to talk to you, too," he said, also flirting. But he saw the smirk on Cyborg 's face and toned it down.

"We are going into the clock tower. Has the Delorean arrived?"

"No sign of it so far…Marty!" Starfire giggled.

"That's odd. They should be here by now. Keep looking for them, and let me know when they get to the dance. Talk to you later."

"Oh, anything for you, Marty!" her voice cooed. "Goodbye!"

Robin shot a glance at Cyborg.

"She's just being in character," he insisted, unconvincingly.

"Oh, yeah, right." Cyborg replied with a smirk.

Cyborg and Robin walked up a few steps and went in the employee's entrance. They could hear the bustle of commotion in the kitchen. Robin had spoken with the owner yesterday, and had gotten his approval for them to work undercover for this operation.

As they walked down the hallway, they could hear voices.

"Get back to work right now!"

"Yes, sir, Mr. Benson."

A thin, middle aged man in a suit came around the corner in front of them. He had just a few wisps off curly hair on his head, and he was red faced, as though his blood pressure was dangerously high.

"What are you two doing loafing? I get back from vacation and this place is a mess. Get back to work or you're both fired!"

"Just a moment, sir," Robin interjected. "We're the Teen Titans and we're-"

"I don't care what kind of a band you're in! I don't even like that kind of music."

"No, you don't understand, Sir. We made arrangements with Mr. Rothschild, the owner, and-"

"Arrangements? No one said anything to me!" He glared at them. "Look, I realize you were hired in my absence, but let me enlighten you as to how things work around here. You do your job, or you're fired!"

He looked at Cyborg. "You, get into the kitchen. We've got orders piling up. And you, get in the back and scrub dishes."

"But I'm a waiter!" Robin protested.

"Oh, no you're not! In my establishment, you work your way up to that with blood, sweat and tears. So you start by washing dishes. And get that ridiculous mask off!"

He grabbed Robin and Cyborg and pushed them through the swinging door into the kitchen, following them in. Cooks were running everywhere in white aprons, and there was general pandemonium.

An assistant came over to Mr. Benson and urgently reported something in a low voice, taking his attention away from the two Titans.

"Holy pot scrubbers, Batman!" Cyborg whispered.

"Zip it!" Robin snapped. "We'll just play along for the moment."

Robin walked into the back room where the dishes were being washed. Mr. Benson grabbed Cyborg and dragged him over to an empty cooking station.

"We're backed up. Get something made, right now," he commanded.

"But, Sir, I don't think you realize…"

Mr. Benson grabbed an empty plate and slammed it down on the counter in front of Cyborg.

"There had better be something prepared on this plate when I get back!" he barked, stalking off to find his next loafing victim.

Cyborg swallowed.

.

.

Back in the T-Car, Beast Boy and Raven were racing back toward the restaurant. The smooth jazz on the radio had calmed Raven down, but he was still tense.

"I hope they haven't canceled our reservation," he said.

"It will be okay. Don't drive too fast, Beast Boy."

"I know how to drive, Raven," he said with exasperation. "You never think I can do anything."

"Beast Boy," Raven said with a hint of irritation, but she paused and softened her voice, "I'm not criticizing you. I'm trying to help you. You know how upset Cyborg will be if anything happens to the car."

She even managed a friendly smile.

"You're right," he said, loosening up. He eased back on the gas pedal.

Raven adjusted the radio.

"Some days, is it hard for you to just leave the house?" the announcer asked. "Do you just want to sit in a dark room? It may be clinical depression. If so, Medoxicil may be right for you…"

"Have you ever thought about that, Raven?" Beast Boy asked casually.

"Thought about what? Medoxicil?"

"I'm just saying that sometimes it doesn't seem like you're really all that…happy… you know? Maybe you have clinical depression…"

She looked at him sharply, no longer calm.

"So you're saying that I need to be medicated?" she demanded.

"Hey, come on! I didn't mean it like that," he said gently. "But, so what if you did? There is nothing wrong with getting treatment if it will help."

"Yes, there is nothing wrong with getting treatment if you need it. But **I **don't need it. I have a lot of real issues to deal with that **you** wouldn't know anything about!"

She folded her arms and looked straight ahead.

"Come on, Raven," he pleaded. "Don't be mad…"

"And I don't put any artificial chemicals into my body," she added.

"You took the vicodin the doctor prescribed when you had those migraine headaches…"

"Beast Boy, I think you give me a vicodin-level headache!"

Beast Boy went back to focusing on the road. But he felt a little better. When Raven was really mad, she went silent. So if she was making cutting remarks, she was OK.

Raven pressed the button for the navigation system to listen.

"What is our estimated time until we arrive at the restaurant?" she asked.

"Six hours," said the voice.

"I have had it with this thing!" she growled. A white glow filled her eyes and a black aura developed around her hands.

"Azarath… Metrion….Zin-"

"No, Raven! Don't destroy Cyborg's computer!"

He stuck his hand in her mouth to break her incantation.

It worked. The glow dissipated from her eyes, but then they were suddenly filled with terror.

The car had drifted out of the fast lane and was driving through the median, heading straight for concrete pillars that supported an overpass. The pillars were surrounded by a protective triangle of reflective orange traffic barrels.

Beast Boy slammed on the brakes. It was too late. A tremendous shock wave went through the car and it came to a stop.

.

.

High overhead, Starfire had spotted the car and was flying toward it when she saw the collision.

The barrels were filled with water and designed to absorb the force of an impact without anyone being killed. She saw a huge geyser of water spray into the air and the car come to a stop, the headlights going out.

With her heart skipping a beat, Starfire landed next to Beast Boy's door. She grabbed the handle and the door opened, although she had been prepared to rip it off if she had to.

"My fault? It's your fault!" Beast Boy was shouting.

"It's your fault!" Raven shouted.

They turned around, stunned, when the door opened.

"Friends! Friends! Are you all right?"

"Starfire!" Raven exclaimed happily.

"Yeah, I think so," Beast Boy said.

"And you, Raven?" Starfire asked.

"Yes."

"Why is there all the yelling?" She asked. "You should be glad that no one is hurt."

"She started it," Beast Boy accused.

"He started it," Raven insisted, and they both pointed their finger at the other one simultaneously.

"Friends! It does not matter who did the starting! What matters is that we work together now in harmony."

"Cyborg's car is ruined," Beast Boy groaned. "Now he is going to kill me!"

"The car is not ruined. I shall get you back on the road."

Using her strength, Starfire pulled the wet car away from the crushed barrels and back onto the road. A group of other cars had stopped, and people were getting out to assist, but Starfire waved for them to be on their way.

Then she went back to the open door to talk to her friends.

"The car is mostly undamaged," she said, handing Beast Boy the driver's side mirror, which had broken off. "Try to activate the engine."

He did, and the engine started. Cyborg had built the car well. Perhaps it was good luck, instead of bad luck, that the air bags hadn't deployed. There were a few minor dents, but even the headlights still worked.

"I guess we can still drive," Beast Boy said.

"Yes," Starfire assured him. "You are very close to the restaurant now. Just one more mile, and then make the left turn and you will see it. It is quite visible."

Beast Boy and Raven were silent for a moment.

"Friends!" Starfire interjected. "You have a glorious evening ahead! I am told that this food is most edible, and sure to be pleasing. And, Beast Boy, you made so many preparations and are most handsome in your tuxedo! And Raven, you look so elegant!"

The two in the car smiled a little.

"And, we have the Mumbo to catch! So promise me there will be no more of the fighting!"

"Okay," Beast Boy said softly.

Raven mumbled something noncommittal.

"Raven…" Starfire said sternly.

"Okay," Raven said.

"Good! Everything is now going to go with smoothness," she said, and then she adopted a serious tone of voice, "Because if there is more of the fighting, Cyborg will not be the only one you have to worry about when you get home."

Suitably chastised, they drove down the road and Starfire returned to the air after they had left.

They made it to the restaurant, but Starfire's prediction of everything going smoothly from then on may have been a trifle optimistic…


	5. A Confession, and the Mood Changes

**A Confession, and the Mood Changes**

The T-Car looked a little out of place as it pulled into the valet parking lane at Clair de Lune. The parking area seemed to be filled with BMWs, Mercedes and Ferraris.

There was one car in front of them, a red convertible. As they sat in their car waiting for the parking valet, Beast Boy looked over his shoulder at the broken mirror assembly lying in the back seat.

"I can put the mirror back on," Raven offered.

"Cyborg says when you fix things with magic, they don't stay fixed," he remarked. "The only way is good old mechanical engineering, nuts and bolts…"

Then, perhaps realizing he was sounding negative, he stopped and reached back to grab the mirror.

"On second thought, please go ahead…It will be a big help!"

He held it in place and a black aura surrounded it and welded it on. He smiled in gratitude.

The valet came and Beast Boy switched all the Titan electronic systems into safe mode, and he gave the valet the key. They got out and walked to up the restaurant.

Both hoped they might go unnoticed as Titans by the other guests. Perhaps they could pass for ultra cool Hollywood types who tinted their skin and hair. Raven also beginning to feel self conscious again with her makeup and revealing dress. She didn't like people staring at her.

They passed a sign announcing Yokouchi Ayumi as the guest pianist, for tonight only. A valet opened the ornate oak door for them and they entered the foyer of the restaurant.

"Here we are," Beast Boy whispered to her.

"Yes, here we are," she said without emotion.

The only lighting came from the flames of dim gas lamps, but everything they saw was elegant. The walls were covered with fine wood paneling, and there were trees growing in stone pots. Statues of water nymphs stood frolicking in an indoor fountain. Several glamorous couples milled around, sipping on cocktails. The soft sounds of piano music drifted in from the dining room.

It was not immediately obvious where to go, and Raven directed them over to a corner of the room where they wouldn't be the center of attention.

"You go see about our table," she suggested.

Beast Boy made his way over to the maître d_**'**_ station, passing a marble statue of a teenage Cupid, shooting his bow and fully unclothed, with not even a fig leaf.

_Yep, nothing says 'This Is High Class' like a full view of Cupid's junk, _he though dryly.

A tall, well dressed man was standing at the maître d_**'**_ station, looking important.

"Um, hi. I'm Beast Boy and I have a reservation…"

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Boy. We believed you weren't coming and we seated someone at your table a half hour ago." He gave no sign at all that he recognized Beast Boy as a Titan, or that he even knew -or cared- who the Teen Titans were.

"Well, um, …do you have any other tables?"

"I don't know, sir," he said, with a long, pregnant pause.

Remembering something Robin had said, Beast Boy reached into the inner pocket of his tuxedo jacket and produced several bills, which he discretely handed to the maître d_**'**_. _Ouch_, he said in his mind. _I hope Raven doesn't want dessert_.

"Thank you, sir. Your table will be ready momentarily."

Beast Boy walked back to Raven, who was still standing in the corner and trying not to be noticed by the other patrons. She was staring at Cupid.

"Huh?" she said, turning to him.

"I said they should have our table ready in a minute," he said, then looked around. "I hope he can find us over here."

"You're green," Raven assured him. "You'll be easy enough to spot."

Soon enough, another man came over to them.

"Right this way, sir."

As they followed him, Raven's heel went into a slight depression in the carpet and the shoe twisted under her. She stumbled, and fell into a potted tree with a small scream.

Everyone turned to look. Some fashionably dressed people standing nearby snickered, one woman in particular. She righted herself and whirled around, red faced.

Beast Boy wasn't laughing, but he did have a little smile.

"Are you okay?" he said, walking over to help her.

"Maybe you should try walking in heels sometime," she growled, humiliated. "At least then you wouldn't be so short."

He looked at her sharply for an instant, then shrugged off her remark as they continued walking into the dining room. She bit her lip.

_Shouldn't have said that, _she thought, and could feel a headache starting in her temple.

They were led into the large dining room, lit only by the candles on each table, and shown to a table in the back. Beast Boy moved faster than the waiter, and pulled out the chair for Raven. Once she was seated, he sat down and the waiter handed them their menus and left.

"No sign of Mumbo anywhere," he said, looking around.

They opened the menus. Everything was in French, with no English translation.

.

.

Back in the bustling kitchen, Mr. Benson made his way over to Cyborg's station.

"Okay, let's see what you've got," he demanded.

Cyborg turned and handed him the plate, with a hopeful smile.

Mr. Benson took a long look at the food.

"You made…waffles?"

"Yes, sir. And I can assure you that they are really good…"

"You're fired!"

Cyborg was escorted out the back door, and it was slammed behind him.

"Oh, yeah? Well, those were the best waffles you'll ever taste!" he shouted back.

Then he saw Robin sitting on a bench, looking at his feet.

"You got fired too, huh?" Cyborg asked.

"Yep...Working for a living sucks."

"Good thing we've got the superhero gig to fall back on."

Robin nodded, then added, "Let's not tell Starfire what happened, okay?"

"Deal."

.

.

At the table, the waiter brought their drinks and prepared to take their dinner order.

"What will you have, sir?"

Beast Boy glanced at something that he had written in the palm of his hand. "I'll have item number four, the ratatouille nicoise."

"Very good, sir. And what will the lady have?" he asked Beast Boy.

"I can give my own order," Raven interrupted.

"Very well. What will Madame have?"

"Uh…I'll have the number 13."

"Excellent." He took their menus and again departed.

"I can't read French," Beast Boy confided to her. "I asked Robin to name a vegetarian dish they had here."

"That was a good idea," she replied.

They looked at each other, each waiting for the other to start a topic of conversation. There was silence.

"So…tell me about your family," he suggested.

She stared at him.

"Okay, I have met your father," he said with an embarrassed grin. "Tell me about your mother, and if you have any brothers or sisters."

She shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "I'd rather not talk about that."

"Okay, then. Where did you grow up? Where did you go to school?"

"I don't like to talk about myself."

"Come on, Raven…"

She cleared her throat, as though she had an unpleasant task to get through. "As you know, I was born in Azarath. I…left suddenly…when I was 12 and lived with my grandmother until she passed away. I went to school in Gotham city because she made me."

"Okay," Beast Boy nodded, excited to finally learn some details of Raven's background. "Did you like school?"

"Loved it," she said sarcastically.

"What do you mean?"

"I didn't know anyone. I didn't fit in, and I looked funny. Everyone thought I was some kind of a freak…I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"So you trashed those jerks, right?"

"No, Beast Boy," she said with an exasperated sigh. "I silently took it, just like I was taught. I'm a pacifist, remember?"

"What about your friends?"

"I didn't have any friends," she hissed. "I'm not talking about this anymore."

There was a long silence. Raven rubbed the headache in her temple and Beast Boy stirred the ice in his drink and looked around the room. They listened to the piano music. The waiter brought their salad course, complete with the very tiny salads.

"What about your parents?" Raven asked after a while. "Where are they?"

"Um, I'd rather not talk about that either," he said. He racked his brain for something else to talk about.

"That Plasmus sure is stinky, huh?"

"Sure is," she replied, and another long silence descended on the table.

.

.

Beast Boy's communicator beeped, and he answered it.

"Hello, this is George."

"George, it's Marty," Robin's voice said. "Someone who looks like Mr. Strickland has been spotted tampering with an ATM machine on 38th street. Doc Brown, Lorraine and I are heading down there."

"Do you need us to come?"

"No, you stay and finish your dinner. We've got this. Over and out."

Beast Boy put away his communicator and turned to Raven. "It means Cyborg, Starfire and Robin are going to nab Mumbo down on 38th street."

"I got that much," she stated. "Just what character am I supposed be from this movie, anyway?"

"Um,…Biff," he replied.

"Biff?" she repeated. "You think I am a 6 foot 5 dim-witted bully?"

"So you have seen the movie! Well…You weren't at the meeting, and Starfire wanted to be Lorraine. We didn't think that you'd mind."

Raven face-palmed.

Soon the waiter returned with their main course.

"Ratatouille for the gentleman, and the foie gras for the lady. Bon Appétit."

After he left, Beast Boy whispered in horror, "You ordered foie gras? They torture a duck to make that!"

"I didn't know!" Raven insisted. "I…I can't read French either."

There was a flicker of anger in Beast Boys eyes. "Come on, Raven. You know all these languages."

"No, I don't! I've learned several ancient languages for my research. French isn't one of them." She paused a moment. "Look, I won't even eat it. I'll just finish my salad and eat the bread."

"You might as well now since it is already here," he grumbled.

Again there was a long silence. Raven rubbed her temple. Her headache was growing.

Beast Boy pushed his vegetables around with the fork. This was not how he had imagined the evening would go. He glanced at the happy couples, laughing at other tables. A beautiful blonde was having the time of her life next to them. Maybe he had just been a fool to even try with Raven…

He ate some more food and felt better. He thought of a joke he'd once heard, and looked up at Raven.

"Hey, Raven, how do you say 'cut the grass' in French?"

"I told you I don't know French," she replied.

" 'Mow de lawn'," he said with a heavy French accent, and looked expectantly at her.

She stared at him with a neutral expression.

He went back to his food.

He slipped his communicator out of his pocket and checked the time. When was this disaster going to be over with? He just wanted to go home. They didn't even play any role in catching Mumbo.

"I really tried this evening, Raven…" he mumbled under his breath.

"What?" She looked up from her plate.

He shook his head, indicating that what he said was not important. He looked over at the blonde again, and thought _I wish I was with her_…

Raven didn't need any supernatural empathic abilities to read him now, her plain old human perception was quite enough. She took a sip of her drink while she tried to decide what to say.

"Look, I know this evening hasn't gone quite how it should have…I know part of that is my fault…"

He looked at her, but his expression didn't soften.

She took a big drink from her glass, and tried to summon all the courage she could find.

"You were right. My life isn't what most people would call happy. Maybe it isn't meant to be..."

She downed the rest of her drink in one gulp and forced herself to look him in the eye as she continued, "But in the last year or so, I've come to realize that the times that I have been truly happy have been because of...you."

He looked at her, his eyes widening. Was he hearing this correctly?

She looked back into his eyes and made herself finish what she was going to say.

"Sometimes there are things -just little things - that you say or do, and I don't show it at the time, but I'll lie in bed that night and think about them with a big smile on my face."

She reached over and grabbed his drink, and gulped it down also.

"You know these drinks are non-alcoholic, right? Because we're underage…" he commented.

"You should have warned me sooner," she deadpanned.

"Did you really mean what you said about me?"

"Yes, Beast Boy," she said, taking a deep breath. "I'm glad I'm here with you tonight. There is no one else I'd rather be with."

"I thought I was too short or too green or too annoying…"

She smiled slightly as she realized she was witnessing one of the rare moments when he wasn't joking, when his true insecurities were peeking out. Choosing her words carefully, she said "There are…times…when you can be a little annoying…That doesn't mean I'm not attracted to you."

"Really?"

Slightly flustered, she replied, "How long have you known me? Do you know how hard it was for me to say that? I'm not just making it up."

He began to smile a little, and she did too. They stopped talking as an assistant waiter came and refilled their drinks. In that moment, they both thought about what had just happened.

Raven took a deep, relaxing breath. She felt like a weight had been lifted off her chest, and was ridiculously proud of herself for finally saying what she did. Her headache vanished and the mood lightened.

"I thought you were into tall, muscular guys like Aqualad?" Beast Boy remarked.

"Mmm hmm," she nodded.

He looked puzzled.

Raven felt giddy, like a dam had burst inside her. All kinds of thoughts that she never would have let out we rushing though, before the repair crew got the dam fixed. She spoke calmly though, only her eyes had more of a sparkle.

"I'm a normal woman, which nobody seems to realize. There are many guys I find appealing…It doesn't mean I'm acting on it."

"So, what about Cyborg?"

"No comment about anybody on our team."

"Okay, what about Jericho?"

"He's cute."

"Speedy?"

"Not exactly a name that a girl wants to hear, but sure."

"Herald?"

She took a sip of her drink. "He can blow my horn any time."

"Damn, girl!" Beast Boy laughed in disbelief. Was this really Raven? He paused a minute, thinking of a good one.

"Gizmo?"

"Not really my type, but I bet he's got a gadget or two a girl could use," she deadpanned.

Beast Boy looked at her blankly, he didn't get it. After a moment, she shook her head a little and rolled her eyes. He's still not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree.

Suddenly, he burst into hysterical, snorting laughter. Diners at the other tables looked over. The piano music stopped. Raven looked down and shielded her face with her hand.

"Raven made a joke! I can't believe Raven made a joke like that," Beast Boy cried out, when he could talk again.

"Let's get out of here before they kick us out."

Beast Boy paid the check and they left.

The night was full of possibilities, and romance was in the air…

.

**Next Chapter: The date heats up on the beach at midnight…**

**Any feedback you may have is most appreciated!**


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